I'll Always Love You
by MissingMommy
Summary: "We've always been doomed to be star-crossed lovers; destined to wonder what might have been." Because when David thinks of Emma, all he can remember are the times he danced with her. DavidEmma with meantions of DavidCarolyn. One-shot.


_May 15, 1970_

The rain is coming down in sheet, hitting the ground angrily. It's not uncommon for it to be raining in the afternoons, but David can't help but to hate it anyways. He lifts his book bag over his head in a fruitless attempt to keep himself dry. The only thing that he can think of is that he wishes he would have remembered his umbrella this morning before rushing off to school.

Even though the howling wind and sounds of rain hitting the concrete, he hears the sounds of laughter. Wondering who would be out in the rain, he follows the sound, unable to find himself worried about being cold and wet anymore. A few hundred feet his finds an abandoned playground with a lone girl spinning in circles.

"Are you mad?" David yells through the noise of the rain. But somehow, his voice is lost and the girl continues to spin, lost in her own world. He can't help but to watch her, mesmerized by her ability to enjoy the rain.

She must have finally realized he's standing there because she stops spinning. Her bright eyes focus on him and she smiles wildly. "What are you doing out here?" she screams, trying to make sure he hears her.

"I could ask you the same," he replies. She's truly a beauty, with her bright eyes and light brown hair.

She laughs, "I would say you're out here to enjoy yourself, but it doesn't look like you are!" And he can't argue with that – she must have seen it. When he doesn't reply, she speaks again, "I'm Emma Taylor."

"David Rossi," is his only response.

Emma grins and pulls David's hand. "Well, David. Let's enjoy ourselves!" He wants to protest but the way that she forces him to dance with her enchants him. He can't help but to smile. He doesn't care that he is soaked to the bone, or that he's going to be late getting home; all that matters is the way he's twirling her around the empty playground.

It takes hours for the rain to clear up, but they dance their way through the entire storm, laughing. David has never felt anything quite like what he is feeling here and now. By the time he arrives home, the smile he wears is plastered on his face and he's not sure if it's going to fade any time soon.

There's one thing for sure, he definitely loves thunderstorms now.

_August 6, 1970_

It's been nearly three months since David last saw Emma. Every time a thunderstorm approaches, he can't help but to think of the girl who forced him to dance with her. And try as he might, he just hasn't been able to locate her since that day. It's like Emma Taylor never existed.

But today, it's the first day of his seventh grade. So he dresses and attends classes like everyone else. He sits at the table in the back of his science class, waiting for class to start. That's when he notices her. She walks in the classroom, her head held high, wearing that wild grin she always seems to have on.

Her eyes light up when she notices him. It's a fact that doesn't escape his best friend. "You know her?" Ray asks. But David can't be bothered to answer the question – he's mesmerized by Emma once again. Ray nudges him and he faces his friend.

"Yeah, I met her once about two months ago," is all David says.

Emma takes the empty seat next to him and pulls out a book in attempt to retrieve another. "It seems we meet again, David." He's not sure how he feels about her being so proper, but it's definitely a change from Ray's rudeness.

"So it does, Emma. What are you reading?" he asks, pointing out the book that she shoved back in her bag.

"_An Ideal Husband_ by Oscar Wilde," she turns the book slightly so he can catch a glimpse of the cover. "It's my favorite book by him."

He spends the first three periods of his day trying to concentrate on something other than Emma, but he can't. As he sits down at one of the table in the lunch room, he digs in to the food. Ray takes his usual seat next to him. "Dude, what has gotten into you?" Ray demands after realizing David isn't listening to a word he has said. "You've been staring at her _all_ morning."

"I think I'm in love, Ray."

_July 4, 1973_

David walks all the way to Emma's house in the pouring rain because he's still too young to drive and his parents are busy with their jobs. But today's special; it's Emma's birthday and he wouldn't miss it for the world. He knocks and waits for her to answer. It's his first time coming to her house and he knows that she isn't home alone.

When her father answers the door, he puts on the best smile he can manage and asks, "Is Emma here?" Her father looks him over for a few second – purposely making him nervous – before showing him to the backyard. "Thank you, sir," David manages to spit out; because if he didn't say anything, her father would know how mesmerized he was by Emma. Her father just sighs and goes back in the house.

"Dave!" Emma cries out happily, when she finally realizes that he's watching her again. He does that often, just stares at her. "Dance with me!"

David just laughs before going back out into the rain. He may be shivering and his clothes sticking to his skin, but as long as he was dancing with her, he didn't care. "Happy Birthday Emma," he says as he twirls her again.

"You know what I want for my birthday?" she asks so softly that he barely hears it. When he stops spinning her and looks down into her bright eyes and wild smile, she speaks again, "I just want to be kissed by somebody other than my family for once in my life."

He wants to protest but – like three years ago – he can't find the words to say no to her. He doubts he'll ever say no to her. So, just to make her happy, he leans down and captures her lips with his own. The kiss breaks off a few seconds later and David isn't even sure who pulled away first; all that matters to him is that he kissed the purest thing in his life.

He should feel guilty about stealing her first kiss like he had – cliché with the rain and dancing – but he can't find it in himself to; because kissing her just felt right. But he continues to twirl her around her backyard, pretending that he just didn't kiss her.

"Did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?" he asks her when the rain dies down.

She smiles that wild smile of hers – warming David's heart – and replies, "I did. Thank you."

He wants to ask if it ruined their friendship, because he's not sure if she wants a relationship with him. With one glance towards her, he knows that he hasn't lost her friendship yet. Even if she didn't want anything more, he'd be happy with her in his life.

_May 31, 1975_

Emma lays in the grass, eyes closed, waiting for the rain to pour down. She doesn't open her eyes as David takes the spot next to her. "Feels weird that we'll be graduating tomorrow," Emma breaks the silence first.

And it's really the first time that it truly hits him; he's leaving to join the Marines in two weeks' time and she's going to college. "You'll write me, won't you?" he asks foolishly. They both know that she will, even if she says she won't.

She laughs, "I suppose I shall."

And then the silence is back. For the first time in their friendship, it feels awkward. It didn't feel this awkward pretending they didn't kiss on her birthday nearly two years ago. But suddenly, it hits him that he might lose her forever. "I'm going to marry you," he tells her.

Again, she laughs. "You can't just suddenly want to marry me because you feel like you're going to lose me, Dave; it doesn't work that way." He's not sure how she always knows what he's thinking, but she does. "Besides, you're going into the Marines and I'm not going to wait around for you."

"But I love you," he tries to argue.

"I know you do. But our lives aren't meant to be tangled. We've always been doomed to be star-crossed lovers; destined to wonder what might have been," she tells him softly, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I only have to be in the Marines for four year. I don't have to reenlist. I can come back to you," he tries to reason because he doesn't want to lose her.

The rain starts fall as she replies, "But I'll be changing who you _are_. You'll never be happy with a desk job. You have to be in action, doing _something_ to make this world a better place. We both know that. It's who you are and it'll be foolish of me to try and change that."

He wants to argue but it's useless – she's already made up her mind. "I hope whatever you do in your life makes you happy, Emma," he tells her honestly. "Because whoever you are with is a lucky person."

She smiles – but this time it isn't her wild smile that he's accustom to – and kisses him softly. "I wish you well in your life too, Dave."

As she's walking away from him, he whispers, "I'll always love you, Emma." He knows she hears him, but she doesn't turn around. He stands there, rain pouring down around him, thinking about how he just lost the best thing in his life.

It's the first and only time they didn't dance in the rain together. He never enjoys the rain again; because when he thinks of the rain, he thinks of Emma and that just _kills_ him.

_October 4, 1980_

It's the day before David is to marry Carolyn. He sits on the edge of his bed, a letter in his hand. He found it by mistake while going through his old stuff, preparing to make a new life with Carolyn. From the moment he picks it up, he knows who it is by the handwriting – he's seen that writing for five year; it's kind of hard to forget. It takes him a while to work up the courage to open since he's not sure if he wants to remember the feels he once had – has – for the author. But his curiosity gets the better of him and he tears into it.

_Dave, _

_I didn't walk away to hurt either of us. Our love just wouldn't have lasted in this lifetime. I hope you understand that. Maybe if the thrill of the chase didn't excite you so much, we might have worked. _

_I know what you said as I was walking away. And trust me, I wanted to turn around. But turning around would have meant that I would've given into you. I didn't want that. I didn't want a life of pain and worry to plague our life together; because, if I would have agreed to marry you yesterday, that's all our life together would've been – pain and discontent. _

_We both deserve to be happy, Dave. And being together, as good as it may have sounded then, would've made us unhappy. I really hope that you find happiness in your life._

_I'll always love you,_

_Emma_

And he knows that he has lost her forever. He should've married her instead of allowing himself to be caught up in the chase. Maybe he wouldn't have to settle for second best, for a woman that he doesn't even love with all his heart.

But life is harsh and no matter has much he wanted to blame it, he knows it's his own fault he lost Emma. So he does what he needs to and marries Carolyn.

_March 9, 2009_

For the first time in thirty years, David picks up the phone to an old voice. "Hey, Dave," Ray says after David grunts his name.

"Ray? Why are you calling me?" David pulls himself into the sitting position and glances at the clock – 10 p.m.

"It's Emma, Dave," Ray starts. But he seems to be struggling with his words, "She's been killed by a drunk driver on her way home." David just stares out, staying silent. "Dave? Are you okay?"

Of course he isn't, but he chokes out, "Yeah, I'm fine."

They both know he's lying, but Ray says nothing to disprove him. "Her funeral is tomorrow, if you wanted to come."

"Thanks for telling me, Ray," David says because there's nothing else he wants to say.

"Are you going to go?"

Again, David is silent for a while. "I'm not sure." And they both know that it means he's not. For once, he's glad that Ray knows what's he's trying to saying without having to say it out loud.

"I'll be there. I'll see you here if you come," Ray tells him. There's a long silence before Ray speaks again, "You know Emma would want you at her funeral, Dave."

David just hangs up, not wanting to tell Ray the real reason why he won't be coming. He doesn't think he's strong enough to see her lowered into the ground. Besides, he was nothing but a friend to her; he won't be welcome.

He's not use to feeling this weak, so he stumbles out of his bed and attempts to drown his sorrows in a few glasses of Jack Daniels. It's not enough though, the pain comes through the haziness he feels and he knows this isn't what Emma would want. So he puts the glass in the sink and watches reruns until the morning light.

_November 23, 2011_

It's the first time he's been to her grave. Nearly two and a half years ago she died and he never had the courage to come out here until now. He feels the rain drops on his skin; and he thinks that it is fitting for it to be raining on the day he visits her – their life together was always revolved around rain.

He places a dozen of her favorite flowers – yellow sunflowers – on her grave and stares at the headstone for the longest time. "You know, I think you were right. We were always destined to wonder what could have been. And now, more than ever, I wish I would have married you instead of trying to make something of myself. I think I would've been happier that way."

He stands there until the storm is over, just as he would've if they were dancing in it, before he leaves. He pays for flowers to be delivered there every year, but he doesn't return. Too many painful memories comes with thinking about Emma, mainly the fact that he let her get away. He missed a life with her because he was too blind to see that she was the purest thing he would ever meet.

**A/n – So this has been floating around in my head for quite a while. I hope that you enjoyed it. David was born in April of 1958, while Emma was born in July of 1958.**

_**Please, please don't favorite without reviewing.**_


End file.
